


Nothing's Amiss

by Leolithe



Category: Bayonetta (Video Games), Metroid Series, Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Ace Lesbian Samus, Acephobia, Asexual Acceptance, Asexual Character, Asexual Samus, Asexuality, Dialogue Heavy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/F, Internalized Acephobia, One Shot, Platonic Romance, Self-Doubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:01:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26049208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leolithe/pseuds/Leolithe
Summary: Being an angry ace from outer space comes with its own set of problems.
Relationships: Samus Aran/Bayonetta (Bayonetta)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	Nothing's Amiss

Samus stares at her reflection on her helmet's visor, tilting it in her armoured hands to get a better look at her face. Her scarring had faded over time, though if someone knew where to look, they could pinpoint them rather easily. The most prominent changes — the ones she's paying attention to — are the dark circles that used to dwell underneath her eyes. She hasn't lost her signature 'undeniably tired all the time' look yet, but... 

She looks better these days.

The lift doors to the lobby slide open, and with it enters Samus's opponents for today's team battle: Fox and Falco.

To her disappointment, neither Rosalina or Luma are accompanying the two pilots. The princess had to run a quick errand beforehand, and Samus just hopes she makes it in time for the fight.

She puts on her helmet, paying no mind to the vulpine and his teammate moving to sit on the bench across from her. Falco has his eyes glued to his phone, looking at whatever cocky blue birds look at. Fox, on the other hand, has nothing to occupy himself with — his arms folded and eyes searching for something interesting to focus on. Samus recognises the situation with a pang.

_Please don't make small talk, please don't make small talk—_

Fox awkwardly clears his throat. "So..."

_Damn it._

"How's things between you and Bayo? How long has it been now— two... three months?" he asks.

Two months since the two of them agreed to make their relationship public. And it has been a... generally positive experience.

Fox's question made Falco look up from his phone, and Samus is thankful that her helmet hides her exasperated expression. "Things are good."

"How'd you two even get together in the first place?" Falco asks.

Samus swears she hears a hint of contempt in the bird's voice. "None of your business."

"Hey, it's an innocent question. Some of us are curious," Fox says. "I mean, we suspected it for a while, but no one can figure out 'How It Came To Be'. Y'know?"

Pros of making your relationship visible to public eyes: The warm, happy feeling in your chest walking down the street, holding hands with your lover; the passing smiles you get every so often when you're seen together; Bayo stops kicking at your shins because she wants your attention during Very Serious and Important meetings with other people.

Cons: People won't shut up about you.

Falco snickers. "They probably got together after a drunk night, those 'one thing led to another' stories."

Fox crinkles his snout. "Ugh, I hope not. Drunk sex is gross."

Samus tries her best not to fidget. Her fingers itch to tap at the edges of her seat. Why isn't Rosalina here yet? She's better at words than Samus is; she can shut them up politely.

"Pfft. Any sex with Bayo has to be good sex. Right, Samus?"

The blonde keeps quiet. Her boots suddenly seem very interesting.

She leaves the pilot hanging, but before he can say anything, Fox gets the cue. "Drop it, Falco."

"What? It's not like sex is anything to be ashamed about." The blue bird says nonchalantly. "People have needs."

Samus tries to keep her tone level. "We don't have sex."

Quiet falls upon the three. Falco blinks. "Damn. I didn't think Bayo was the type to take it slow—"

"We _don't_ have sex."

The quiet returns, and Samus's annoyance is swapped with discomfort as the two anthropomorphs' gazes bore into her. She suddenly regrets saying anything at all. 

The silence is broken by the elevator doors opening, and Rosalina finally enters the lobby, cradling a Luma in her arms. It doesn't stop Falco from asking Samus yet another question, however.

"Is it because you two, like, physically can't?"

Fox smacks his shoulder. "What part of 'drop it' don't you understand?"

"Hey, I'm just curious!"

" _Maybe_ she just likes her in a romantic way. That ever occur to you, birdbrain?"

"Uh, that's only _half_ of what a relationship is?" Falco scoffs. "There's no point in _dating_ when you don't even have the hots for each other."

Samus can't be bothered to follow their squabbling. She just wants to bury herself in a hole and listen to nothing for the rest of her human-Chozo-metroid life. Maybe with Bayo. Just the two of them, alone in a hole thirty feet underground. That sounds nice.

"Contrary to what you believe... A relationship can be perfectly fulfilling without any sexual activity," Rosalina chips in, her voice as gentle and calming as ever. "From the looks of it, you've been prying at poor Samus's personal affairs this whole time. Shame on you."

"Hey, I'm just trying to wrap my head around it." Falco turns to Samus. "You're dating the hottest woman in the Mansion. I know some folks here would've killed to be in your position, and yet, you don't even like her!"

"That's not what I said," Samus snaps.

"Well, you don't like her enough to want to have sex with her."

And the bounty hunter stutters. She can't find a response to that.

The lobby fills with a familiar jingle, and the announcer begins reading off their battle rules. Samus is too disoriented to pay attention to them, and Falco's smug expression doesn't do anything to quell her frustration.

"Falco. Let's have a talk after this match," Rosalina says sweetly. The Luma in her arms nods in agreement. It looks angry.

The bird smirks. " _Only_ if we lose."

Samus doesn't have it in her to punch his face in. Fortunately, Fox doesn't entertain his arrogance. "Let's _go_ , Falco."

There's a grumble in Fox's voice, and Samus watches as the two leave, exchanging words she couldn't hear.

"I'm sorry he was being difficult, Samus," Rosalina tells her calmly. "You and Bayonetta have been doing well this whole time. I don't doubt your commitment to her."

Samus doesn't respond. If only she shared the princess's confidence.

* * *

Samus had donned an orange track jacket over her Zero Suit after the match — because like any other woman, she likes having pockets. Her hands are stuffed in them, and her eyes are downcast as she walks through one of the Mansion's many corridors. She doesn't even remember taking this route back to their dorm room; it's one of the longest possible routes she could take.

She feels drained. And she isn't even looking forward to coming home to Bayonetta. She isn't worthy of her comfort. Not when Falco's argument still rings in her mind. 

It shouldn't even be a big deal to her. The bounty hunter had long accepted her lack of sexual attraction, recognising it's nothing that had to be changed for anyone. But when people start to equate it to love? Her doubts all begin resurfacing again.

The familiar clack of heels against the floor grabs Samus's attention, and her heart drops. She can't avoid Bayonetta forever — Samus knows that — but it would have been nice to be alone for a little longer.

"Match didn't go as well as you planned?"

Samus snorts. "What gave that away?"

"Your sullen expression, for one," the witch replies matter-of-factly. "But I checked the leader-boards. The two of you ended up winning anyway, right?"

"Rosa was carrying my sorry ass the whole time."

The witch hums in understanding. "Well, it can't be helped now, can it?" She extends a hand towards Samus. "Since it's been a crummy morning, let's take it easy for the rest of the day."

Against her better judgement, Samus hesitantly takes her hand before they begin walking again. It's a familiar gesture... Nice and warm, and Samus has grown to like the way gloved hands feel as they wrap around each other. Yet, she can't help questioning if she deserved this.

"Is there something else on your mind?" Cereza asks.

Samus's grip on her hand loosens. Maybe she's overcompensating with all the minuscule romantic gestures she keeps showing to Cereza. If the bounty hunter can't fulfil her sexual desires, then she has no choice but to make it up with heaps and heaps of romance.

"Sam?" comes Cereza's worried voice, and Samus finally looks up at her.

"Am I loving you enough?"

A look of concern passes over the dark-haired woman's expression. "I beg your pardon?"

"Do you think I'm actually in love with you?"

She still looks worried, but she answers without missing a beat. "Of course. I won't call you out on your mannerisms, but I do notice the differences in the way you behave around me and the other folks here. Hell, the fact that you initiate your romantic advances should be evidence enough... What brought this up?"

"It's..." Samus's mouth goes dry. "Nothing important."

"Samus." The witch stops her in her tracks, fixing her with a stern look. "You asked if I thought 'you loved me enough'. This involves the two of us, and I don't think it's something that'll magically go away unless we talk about it."

The bounty hunter swallows. She's right. These doubts have long since gnawed at her heart ever since she came out to Cereza.

So Samus lets her girlfriend lead her through a portal to Purgatorio — for privacy's sake — and to a nearby balcony. "Take it from the top, sweetheart. What happened earlier today?"  
  
Samus closes her eyes, setting aside her trepidation before spilling the news of the events in the lobby. Almost immediately, she notices how Cereza's expression changes; how visibly pissed she is, and Samus quickly attempts to cool her down. "It's just Falco. He's always an asshat."

"Well then, allow me to be mad at an asshat," she snaps. "Clearly, he's gotten into your head since you felt the need to ask me that question."

Guilt pricks at Samus's heart. "Cereza... I've... had thoughts like that for a while. Before anyone knew about us."

The witch freezes, and dismay bleeds into her voice. "You do?"

"Yeah, s-sometimes... I just... I wonder if I actually do love you," she admits quietly. "You're... really beautiful. Like, really, beautiful. Sometimes my chest hurts just looking at you because the things you do are just, so endearing to me."

"That sounds like love to me, sweetheart."

"But I can never think about us doing anything sexual together. I get the urge to be affectionate with you all the time, but nothing sexual ever arises from them. I can't even bring myself to imagine us doing those deep kisses because they're just so weird and... face-squishing." She shakes her head, as if trying to rid herself of the thought. "Everyone says how lucky I am to be dating you, and I am lucky. It's just... I know what they're referring to when they say that. I know other adults here think you're really sexually attractive, but I can't share that sentiment no matter how hard I try."

"Samus, that... doesn't matter to me. Whether or not you harbour any sexual attraction to me... It doesn't change the fact that we're still girlfriends." At the sceptical look on Samus's face, the witch continues, "You've done so much to prove your love in this relationship. Your sweet hugs, gentle kisses... You go out of your way to be there for me. Just because your actions aren't sexual doesn't mean they're any less a form of affection."

Samus frowns. "Friends do this stuff too."

Cereza fixes her with a dead-eyed stare. "Friends give each other gentle kisses?"

"Peach and Zelda do, and they're not dating."

The witch scoffs. "Come on, Samus. You're not blind to the nature of the things we do for each other, are you? It doesn't matter whether or not our actions are 'what friends would do'. They're still driven by love."

"But friends are supposed to love each other."

Taking in a deep breath, Cereza pinches the bridge of her nose. "Let me rephrase my statements for you, Sammy. Our actions are driven by love, are they not?"

Hesitantly, Samus nods.

"And this love occurs between two women who not only know they're romantically interested in each other, but have also agreed to engage themselves in a _romantic relationship_. Am I wrong to say that?"

"No," the blonde mumbles.

"Then _why_ do you insist on downplaying our love?" she asks. "I'm happy that I get to call you my girlfriend. Doesn't it just feel right when you do the same?"

Samus recalls all the moments she had repeated the phrase to herself — how much bliss it has given her — and the guilt really settles in. "It does."

"Good. Our love isn't 'less than' just because we don't have sex, Samus. It may not be as physically intimate as others, yes, but it's still _our_ love. And it's _real_." She pulls out a red lollipop from her summon void and gives it a warning jab towards the blonde. "Don't you dare let anyone tell you otherwise."

Cereza proceeds to agitatedly suck on her candy, leaving Samus still reeling from the regret settling upon her shoulders.

The dark-haired woman sighs. Having a treat to snack on seems to have calmed her down. "I love you too, you know? I put my heart into this relationship. It... really hurts if you're the one trying to undermine that."

"I-I'm sorry, I really am. It's just easy to feel that we're different."

Cereza's expression softens. "I get that, dear. This relationship _is_ different, but it isn't incomplete because you don't experience sexual attraction. At least, I don't feel like anything's missing."

It's reassuring... Cereza's trust in her. Samus shouldn't have challenged it. "I'm sorry," she repeats.

"It's alright. Really." Her tone is calm, and it soothes Samus somewhat. "I'm the one who should apologise. I shouldn't have taken offence to what you said. My frustrations were misdirected, and I'm sorry for my hostility, sweetheart."

It doesn't quite sit right with Samus; she doesn't think the witch did anything wrong, but she nods anyway. "It's okay."

"Would it make you feel better if I taught Falco a lesson?"

"Rosalina's got you covered. Knowing her, it's a literal lesson, and that's fine." Samus mulls over her thoughts. The two would usually enforce a short relationship break after an argument or fight... To come back with clearer heads and talk. "Should we take a break from each other for a while?"

Cereza pauses. "...Do you want to?"

Samus doesn't miss the apprehension in her voice. "I asked you first."

"Ah. Right..." She runs a hand through her short hair, as if she's gathering her bearings. "I... had a crappy morning too, Sam. I didn't show it because being around you always has a way of lifting my spirits, but I don't want to be alone for the rest of the day."

Samus's heart twinges with sympathy. "Okay. We'll stay, then."

"Just promise me that you'll let what I said sink into your head, because I meant every word of it."

"I know, and I will," Samus reassures her. "You can tear into me again if I forget it."

Cereza frowns. "I don't like getting upset at you. It's like kicking a wounded puppy."

"I'm at least a wounded eagle, or some other cool bird."

The witch pauses, thoughtfully drumming her fingers against the railing. "You're more like a dove."

"What?" It's Samus's turn to frown. "Why?"

"Oh, you know. You're gentle... caring... and not to mention, deathly adorable," Cereza adds with a wink.

Samus huffs. "Doves are cool too, I guess."

And the witch stares at her with such a profound softness in her eyes that Samus has to look away.

"You're so cute," she purrs.

Cereza might be the only one in the mansion who finds the bounty hunter _cute_ ; and Samus has long since learnt to embrace that. It doesn't stop her from blushing, though.

The duo stay put on the balcony. It's a nice day out — clear skies and gentle breezes. Samus takes a glance at her partner, contentedly munching on her stick of candy. It doesn't look like Cereza is ready to leave yet. A wistful look is in her eyes as she looks out the balcony.

"You know, I do compare our relationship to those I had in the past, and I do wonder what makes this relationship more fulfilling than the rest despite the lack of any sexual activity," she says. "There has always been this kind of... 'effortless' romance in the platonic activities we do together, hasn't there?"

Samus tips her head to the side. "'Effortless'?"

"That's not to say we don't put care into our actions. They're just expressed in a more... laid back manner," she explains with vibrant hand gestures. Samus can't help but watch with soft eyes as she continues, "You can't deny that there's a kind of formality in those stereotypical candle-lit dinner dates, or luxury walks along a scenic view... And those are fun, don't get me wrong, but if you were to look at _our_ preferred romantic activities, you'd only see two idiots faffing about."

Samus chews on her words for a moment. "Like when you threw us out of a window after we chased each other through the Mansion for half an hour?"

The witch snaps her fingers. "Precisely! But it's not just limited to our rowdy out-of-match shenanigans. Remember the times we got assigned to kitchen duty? We had some sweet moments, too... And then we were barred from being in the main kitchen together for 'being too rowdy with the equipment', which is, quite frankly, an act of homophobia, but I digress."

Oh yeah. They still hadn't found the culprit who snitched on them. All they did was a little bit of juggling with dull knives, a little bit of melee practice with rolling pins and frying pans, a little bit of throwing silicon gloves at each other... And there were no casualties! It was fine!

"With a more traditional couple, 'proper dates' are how they get to know each other. Us, on the other hand... We've never had a proper date until after the confession. All we did was just flap about like reckless teenagers for months and months on end, and I still fell hopelessly in love with you. Given, it was a terrible slow-burn, but that's the key difference between our relationship and the ones I had in the past. That gradual build-up."

"My past relationships — even the so-called 'serious' ones — Oh, they were impulsive. Almost always driven by lust alone. The fire ignited at the drop of a hat. Sex was almost always the driving force, with romance as a mere afterthought," Cereza elaborates. "As a result, that fire died down very quickly. All I gained out of those little flings were just sex and the satisfaction of being fawned over."

"It's such a stark contrast with you. With sex out of the equation, I could finally get a hold of what my problem was. The whole time, I was just missing someone to truly care about. Although I enjoyed them to some extent, I didn't need those shags or half-arsed attempts at romance with people I just met. I needed an honest emotional connection to another person. And all the sappy shit would spring forth from there."

Despite all their differences, the two of them just _get_ each other. Samus would have never thought they could make this relationship work... but they did, and it's baffling her less and less.

"You know, it's not fair that I fell in love with you when all you did was _be a friend_."

Samus smirks. "Sorry, bud. No take-backs."

Cereza laughs; a sweet, earnest laugh. "Oh, Samus... I wouldn't take it back for anything in the universe."

She reaches for her hand and interlaces their fingers together, and Samus's heart swells with a happy kind of ache. "I'm glad I'm together with you. This kind of relaxed romance... It's refreshing. I love everything that you do for us. Every little moment we spend together... I treasure them. Truly."

Again, Samus finds herself avoiding eye contact. She can't possibly look at her now — not when her heart is close to bursting. Cereza reaches out to Samus's face, brushing her hair away from her eyes, and the blonde meets her familiar grey gaze.

"Nothing's missing, sweetheart. And there's certainly nothing missing within you."

Samus's expression wavers for a split second, before she rushes forward and envelops her companion in a tight embrace. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she's silently thankful for Cereza's stubborn insistence on wearing heels whenever she's in public, because Samus feels right at home in the crook between her neck and shoulder.

"I love you," she murmurs, voice muffled by proximity.

She feels Cereza's arms wrap around her back. "I love you too, sweetheart."

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for writing an asshole Falco -w-
> 
> I was debating whether or not to keep Bayo being frustrated because I didn't want Samus to take any verbal lashings of any sort, but I think it makes sense that Bayo feels that way. Considering how homophobes and less-versed people view f/f relationships — not believing that f/f love is real, or believing that f/f love is somehow less serious than hetero love (read: Gal Pals™) — Bayo, as a woman who genuinely, romantically and sexually loves other women, is bound to feel upset when that same rhetoric is again being applied to her relationship with Samus. 
> 
> And combined with the fact that people already question the commitment of an asexual person, it just doubles the amount of doubt they both have to face from others as regards to the integrity of their relationship. This is a really crummy situation in real life too, but I'm glad people's views on LGBT+ people are getting better :)
> 
> For now, I'm gonna keep writing about this super sexy and sex-positive witch being super happy with the love of an ace lesbian. As /my/ treat.
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> [Btw, the past relationships Cereza was talking about don't include Jeanne. BayoJeanne is really great! I just don't think I can do it justice, so I'm staying here in my little BayoSamus bubble :)]


End file.
